Chapter 745: The Great Escape

-Chancellor.

-My comrades......!

And.

Their minds rang out.

Those who communicated through [Mental Language].

-Why are you here? His Highness, what happened to His Highness!

Mental Language was, exactly as the words implied, conversation through the mind.

Whether someone spoke awkwardly, or whether there was a problem with their speech organs.

In conversation through the mind, fluent conversation became possible.

Even the chancellor, who had been unable to speak properly because the organs in the already clumsy-speaking goblin’s body had rotted, became incomparably fluent in conversation through Mental Language.

-His Highness......

But even so.

-He commanded us.

-Commanded?

The minds of those speaking those words......

Their souls were shaking and trembling greatly.

I felt like I knew what that shaking was.

'......They said those zombies don’t activate the host’s brain beyond a certain degree.'

Because of that.

The emotions allowed to them were extremely few.

Beings who, when they originally should have felt some emotion, were unable to purely feel that emotion.

Because of that.

-He told us...... to run away.

-.......

Because they could not properly express the emotion they should be feeling right now.

The emotion called [sadness].

-His Highness has suffered a calamity.

-.......

-So he commanded us to survive, at least.

Their minds, with nowhere to go.

-And plan for the future...... that was what he commanded.

Were simply shaking chaotically.

***

The chancellor had tried to head toward the city without caring about my persuasion.

Or even the pressure through force.

“......I will, obey the command.”

That was the kind of guy he had been.

But when he heard that there had been an order from the prince.

Though grief-stricken, he decided to obey that order.

Flutter......

The enormous wings shook, carrying several zombies whose movement speed was slow as they flew.

And the zombies who could run quickly by themselves, including me and the chancellor, kicked off the ground directly.

'......Almost every zombie that had been in the city.'

I looked at the zombies running together like that.

Compared to what had happened in that city, their condition seemed extremely intact.

“What happened?”

-Not long after you left, humans came.

One of the zombies running with me.

A monster shaped like a huge crocodile spoke through its mind.

-His Highness welcomed those humans. He thought they might be your companions, and even if they were not, he thought they were humans seeking help.

“.......”

-They betrayed him. Into His Highness’s chest...... they drove a blade. After that...... the power that came out from that blade opened the sky.

At those words.

I had no choice but to grind my teeth.

'It’s our fault.'

If it had been before he met us.

The prince would have been wary even against humans and would not have let them get so close so easily.

His meeting with me had disturbed the prince’s vigilance.

'......No, that’s not it.'

My instinct was telling me.

It was true that his meeting with me was the cause.

However.

'The order is reversed.'

It was not that after his meeting with me disturbed the prince’s vigilance, those guys happened to come by chance.

The followers must have started crossing into this North Korea a long time ago.

And quite some time had also passed since we crossed beyond this barrier.

And yet, of all times, right after we left.

At the time when that prince’s guard had weakened the most, the followers just happened to visit the city?

'They knew that after his meeting with me, his vigilance would waver.'

No matter how many coincidences there were in the world.

Timing this perfect was not something you called coincidence.

'They moved in accordance with that......!'

It was not something that just happened by chance because they were lucky.

They had predicted his meeting with me.

And after predicting even that the prince’s attitude would change because of that meeting.

They arranged for their underlings to reach the city in accordance with that.

Literally prophecy.

Literally future sight.

If this had been an ordinary world, it would have been timing so absurd I would have thought it made no sense.

Grit......

'A being capable of something like that.'

The being moving those followers......

The one who had probably descended there right now would likely be capable of that.

No matter how absurd something was.

Because that thing would be an existence even more absurd than that.

-We tried to tear those humans to death.

The humans they saw were probably the demon’s followers that Wonjun and Changsu had been tracking.

I had also met and fought followers.

But while the subordinates they controlled might be strong, the followers themselves were, in most cases, not all that strong.

If they were monsters of this level, it would have been more than possible to kill them all.

However.

-Before his consciousness sank, His Highness gave one final command. To run. To run away and plan for the future.

“.......”

The prince had commanded them to run away.

The followers’ power was not strong, and it would also have taken time until that being’s descent.

Thanks to that, the ones called “comrades” were at least able to escape safely.

'If he commanded them to run...... does that mean he judged, at that point, that the descent could no longer be stopped?'

And.

When I heard that command, I felt my chest grow a little heavy.

A command to “plan for the future,” given even though he knew what he would become.

'The ones responsible for that future......'

Were us.

***

Like that.

After joining up with the zombies, I moved quickly.

[Combat Rations of Swift Footwork Infused with the Demigod Chef’s Care]

The zombies who had joined us late were in a state where the effects of my cooking had not been applied.

I could feed them new cooking.

And the zombies, who were already quite strong to begin with, became able to move even faster due to my cooking.

Thanks to that.

“......Sergeant Shin!”

“The sergeant is here!”

I was able to rejoin the soldiers faster than expected.

“We were worried!”

“What worry? I told you I’d join up soon.”

“You’ve said that kind of thing and then gotten separated from us for a long time more than once or twice, haven’t you......!”

“......Ah, hm. That is true.”

And.

The soldiers’ gazes turned toward the zombies who had come with me.

“They are.......”

“I’ll explain the details later. Those guys are coming with us too.”

They seemed a little surprised.

“When we ended up together with the Green Mane tribe or the vampires, we were a bit shocked, but.”

“......Zombies, huh. Now even this is less shocking.”

They were guys who had already been tempered by many shocks.

At my words, the soldiers quickly nodded without much objection.

Like that.

I ran south with the soldiers.

'There isn’t much distance left.'

At our current speed.

We should be able to return to the Legion soon.

Just when I was thinking that...... at that very moment.

Kuuuuuuuuung......!

Along with an enormous vibration.

The surrounding scenery began to change.

“Th, this is.......”

The soldiers and I opened our eyes wide and looked around.

The nighttime scenery that had been visible until just before.

In the world after destruction where lights had disappeared, only the light of the night sky illuminated the ground...... a dark, and yet somewhat blue scenery.

That scenery.

FWAAAAASH......

Began to change little by little.

What came into view was a beautiful golden color tinged slightly with red.

Because of that light, which was like a sunset, I wondered if perhaps the sun was rising.

......No.

That was not it.

“......That city.”

The aura that had started from that place was spreading.

And changing the colors around us.

“Sergeant Shin. This is.”

“Yeah.”

That light was different even from sunset light.

It was neither the scenery of night nor the scenery of day.

The world beyond that sky that had been visible until a moment ago.

“It’s the scenery of another world......!”

A beautiful world that seemed as if it would enchant you just by looking at it.

It resembled the scenery of that other side.

Tap.

The brilliant golden light, which had spread at an incredible speed like that, soon reached us as we ran.

The very moment that light was about to touch me and the soldiers as well.

[The effect of Course Meal - Earth activates!]

[Temporarily resisting the otherworld’s encroachment.]

CRRRRZZZZT!!!

An intense repulsive force rose and pushed that light away.

While all the surrounding scenery was filled with that brilliant golden light.

Only the area around me and the soldiers maintained the color of the night sky as before.

I looked at that alien scenery and thought.

'I’ve seen this phenomenon before.'

On a much smaller scale than this.

Even so, I had experienced similar things several times.

Beings from other worlds.

The act of cultivating an environment they disliked to their own tastes.

Terraforming carried out under the initiative of another world.

[Dungeonization is in progress.]

Dungeonization.

[This is a clear act of invasion.]

[Never tolerate it!]

'It’s eating...... our world!'

The surrounding scenery, except for the area around me and the soldiers.

Had been eaten by a beautiful golden otherworld.

And.

Flutter......

Then.

The ones who had crossed over from that other side.

But had been reduced to prey by the environment and hostility of our world.

“......Those things from earlier.”

“They’re coming again!”

FLUTTER!!!

A tremendous number of enemies with gray wings.

Began to rush toward us.

***

The world’s scenery changed.

The area around me and the soldiers still maintained the scenery of the night sky we had been seeing just before.

But that was truly only a portion around us.

'It’s being dyed.'

The surrounding color.

Was changing into the golden color we had seen on that other side.

“......Run!”

And.

The enemies flying toward us with that golden light at their backs.

Just before, I had somehow managed to stop them with the power of my cooking.

The environment of this land, which could not help but be alien to them.

I had strengthened the influence of that environment to the extreme, making it no different from making them fight deep underwater.

However.

PAK!

I kicked off the ground to avoid them and looked around.

The ground gouged out as a result of being kicked.

Dust and small stones from that ground spread around.

And the moment those stones and dust left the area around me and the soldiers......

The moment they left the scenery of that night sky.

Paa...... ak......

The speed of those stones and dust changed rapidly.

The time they lingered in the air became longer, and the density of the gathered dust also grew thinner.

No, that was not all.

'The smell of the air, the composition of the atmosphere, the surrounding temperature and the direction of the wind.......'

All of it had changed.

A world that was not the Earth I knew.

Into the laws of another world!

And what that meant was simple.

CLANG!

“Ugh......!”

The enemies who had been unable to display their original strength because of the power of my cooking.

Had become able to display the same strength as they could in their own world!

SLASH—

I cut down one of the enemies that rushed in like that and thought.

'The one fortunate thing is that our abilities haven’t decreased, I guess.'

When dropped into a different environment, we too would be unable to fully display our abilities.

If we had been thrown into that golden world, they would have displayed their original power while we were forced to weaken.

Fortunately.

[Course Meal Made with the Demigod Chef’s Full Strength - Earth]

The effect of my cooking was still being maintained.

In the middle of the world overturned by that golden light.

Around me and the soldiers who had eaten my cooking, at least, the original light.

The black and blue light of the night sky was still being maintained.

Thanks to that, this fight had turned into a structure where both sides could fight at full strength.

......The problem was.

CLAAAAANG!

'That doesn’t mean it’s good for us......!'

When we clashed with each side at full strength like that.

It was not easy to win against that tremendous number.

“Graaagh......!”

“Private First Class Lee!”

In reality.

Among our allies, wounded were already beginning to appear.

Grit.

Looking at that sight, I had no choice but to grit my teeth.

'It’s the difference in power.'

The soldiers and those monsters.

It was not the difference in power between them.

'The difference between my cooking and the one who descended in that city.'

My cooking was something that strengthened the power of this world.

And the existence that had descended in that city was a being that, merely by existing, altered the laws of the world to suit itself.

'This is a little.'

The direction of this battle, in the end.

Was nothing more than a fight over those laws.

'It hurts my pride.'

My cooking.

Was being pushed back by that being’s aura.

“......Take care of the wounded!”

SLASH—

However.

What had happened had already happened.

It hurt my pride, but I could not cling to that.

“The Legion is visible!”

Far in the distance.

The pillars dozens of meters high that the Legion had built.

The wall that was emitting powerful lightning came into view.

'We just have to make it there.'

We had to escape to the Legion.

......That is.

CLANG!

If we could escape alive...... that is.